Saturday, October 29, 2011

My husband's favorite cake is Carrot Cake. So when a friend of mine raved about a Carrot Cake recipe that she uses all the time, I had to take a look. She wanted to see if I could {clean} it up. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too(without the guilt)? Surely by now you know I love a good challenge. I took that recipe and made it fit into my clean lifestyle. It turned out delicious!

As with any baking recipe I {clean} up, I don't try to go too far the first time around by removing all the fat, cholesterol, and sugar. However, I managed to cut the sugar by more than half and the fat and cholesterol in this recipe had a major overhaul. Over the past year of {clean eating} I have learned that you can make things taste great and be great for you as well. And not carry such guilt when you are asked "would you like a slice of cake?"!

NOTE: I prefer my carrot cake to chill in the fridge before serving so the cream cheese is nice and cool. I also sprinkled the cake with all naturally colored orange sugar (www.indiatree.com) and cinnamon.

If you want to give Chia Seeds a try, you can add 1 Tbps to 1/4 cup of water, stir for a few minutes and let sit for 15 minutes until they become a gel and then add them to the wet.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

I do love cheesecakes (they are one of my all time favorites!), but I rarely eat them because they are full of fat and leave my stomach in pain from the dairy. However, sometimes it's worth the pain.

We were having my husband's family over to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday and cheesecake is her favorite dessert. I thought this would be a great opportunity challenge to make a {cleaned} up version of cheesecake. Making them individually, like I did for this recipe, will helps keep portion controls in check.

This recipe is not low fat but just ONE of these little cheesecakes was very rich and rewarding. It was so rich even that I will try to make it with less fat next time and post the results. This recipe is free of artificial colors, preservatives, and white table sugar.

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.2) In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, cane sugar, melted butter, and apple juice. Press a heaping tablespoon of crumbs onto the bottoms of the 12 muffin cups. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.3) In a bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed with blender until creamy and smooth. Add the cane sugar and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups. 4) Bake for about 18 -22 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (a few hours or even overnight).

NOTE: To serve, gently peel off the paper liners and place on your serving plate. Serve with {all natural} strawberry sauce, fresh berries, or drizzle with melted dark chocolate. These cheesecakes can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days. (I drizzled ours with dark chocolate and returned them to the fridge before serving)

Monday, October 24, 2011

I always tell people I try to live life 85% {clean}. I'm not sure where that percentage comes from, but it's a goal. I take that percentage into all aspects of life, even a birthday party.

For my daughters birthday party, it was a Spa theme and the kids started out with a fresh Berry Plate.

Then for lunch they got to select their own lunch items. Multigrain bread, {all natural} peanut butter and {all natural} strawberry jam made the PB&Js. Or they could choose Boar's Head Turkey and cheese. Their side choices were {all natural} applesauce, carrots, grapes, or banana. They had a great time selecting and feeling in charge of their lunch. (we served Berry Berry Good Lemonade by Honest and water)

For dessert we had Zogurt's {all natural} Frozen Yogurt. It's delicious and nutritious. You can read more about it at their website:www.zogurts.comor stop in and visit them! You won't be disappointed.

I apologize for not blogging much lately but my attention has been on preparing for my daughter's 7th birthday party. Party planning is one of my passions and I throw {almost} my whole self into each birthday party. I made four different flavors of cake pops for the party and this was a crowd pleaser for sure.

2). Add coffee and continue mixing until coffee is evenly incorporated into mixture.

This is where the recipe will stop for now. I used theBabycakesmachine and cooked twelve balls at a time for 4 minutes. I suggest making mini or regular muffins and keeping an eye on them until a toothpick pulls out clean (probably baking at 350 degrees). I will repost once I have done this.

Also, I plan to add more nutritional value to this recipe if it's going to making it's way to our table often. Stay tuned for that recipe!

NOTE: I dipped each pop in {organic} 73% dark chocolate. And no, the pearls are not {clean}!

*Instead of buttermillk I poured 3/4 tsp lemon juice(or vinegar) into a glass measuring cup and then added enough milk to reach a 1/4 cup. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then use in place of buttermilk in the recipe.

ABOUT ME

Jan 2011-I started my journey of EATING CLEAN out of necessity(and a bit of intrigue). I was told I needed to lower my cholesterol on my own or I would need to go on a medication(which I will avoid at all costs). After a friend introduced me to CLEAN EATING, I ran out bought the book {The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged: Lasting Fat Loss That's Better than Ever!}. And then the journey began to eat healthier, exercise more, and get knowledgeable on what really goes into my body. This blog was created to make EATING CLEAN easier with healthy recipes, tips, and tricks!
EATING CLEAN is not a quick fix. It's a way of life. A healthy one. Be patient as you learn to EAT CLEAN. Follow me as I replace all my old, "dirty" meals with CLEAN alternatives and ultimately become a CLEAN FREAK. Best Wishes, Angie

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DISLAIMER

Please keep in mind that I am not a Registered Dietitian. While my advice often relies on research, most of it is from my own personal experience in the journey of {Clean Eating}. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet and exercise routine.